This invention relates in general to boat trailers and, in particular, to a boat trailer havng an improved frame design which permits a boat to be carried on the trailer in a lower position to improve stability during trailering, and having a unique pivotal boat-hull-supporting cross bar mounting which eliminates the necessity for fixed or rigidly interconnected cross frame members while providing a smooth and uncluttered appearance as if the pivotal cross members were welded to the trailer side frames.
More specifically, but without restriction to the particular embodiment described and illustrated in the drawings, this invention relates to a boat trailer having a pivotal roller-supporting cross bar mounting structure which eliminates the necessity of fixed or rigidly interconnected cross frame members for spacing the trailer side frame members, thereby allowing a boat to be carried lower on the trailer, while providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance by eliminating the necessity of cross bar mounting brackets and U-bolt connectors so that the pivotal cross bar has a smooth appearance as if welded to the trailer side frames.
As the recreational sport of trailer boating has become ever increasingly popular, the designs of boat trailers used for storing and launching boats have improved. The boater is provided with a trailer which is convenient to use and reliable to operate, while fulfilling its primary function of properly supporting the boat hull both during storage and transport over the roadway. To this end, the present inventor, L. N. Johnson, invented the roller trailer described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,249 which provided a unique boat hull support system utlizing a plurality of rollers. Further improvements in such trailer construction are described in L. N. Johnson, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,530,634 and 4,592,694. These latter two patents relate to a boat trailer construction which eliminates the necessity for any cross frame members fixed or rigidly interconnected between the parallel boat supporting portion of the trailer, which before these inventions had been required in boat trailer construction.
While each of these designs has improved boat trailer construction, as improved boat trailers were offered to the trailer boater additional features have become desirable. One of these features is to lower the position of the boat relative to the trailer frame to improve trailerability and appearance. Another desirable feature is a "custom" appearance, which improves the aesthetics of a boat and trailer package by giving the appearance that the trailer has been designed for the particular boat which is carried on the trailer.
Heretofore custom trailers have been fabricated by proper positioning of the various trailer components for a particular boat design, welding these components into the proper position and providing a color trim that matches or complements the boat. The overall appearance thus created is a smooth flowing design of a trailer designed for a particular type of boat, and color trimmed for an individual boat of that type. Large scale manufacturing of such trailers, however, has been prohibitive because of the wide range of boat hull designs. In order to provide a boat trailer at a competitive price, the trailer was required to be sufficiently adjustable to be used with a range of boat sizes and hull designs. Accordingly, components of the trailer had to be adjustable, requiring the use of U-bolts and adjustable brackets to provide sufficient accommodation for these variables.